In recent years, there has been a growing demand for using the Internet outside the office by carrying a tablet terminal or a small-sized, lightweight PC. Usually, this type of tablet terminals and PCs are equipped with a wireless LAN feature, but not with a mobile telephone feature. It is therefore necessary to connect to an access point over wireless LAN (such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth), in order to connect to a network outside the office.
Since an access point does not always exist nearby, it is not always possible to connect to a network.
Tethering is known as a technology for coping with such a situation. Tethering allows a PC or a tablet terminal (portable handset) not equipped with a mobile telephone feature to be connected to a network wirelessly using a device equipped with a mobile telephone feature, such as a smartphone, as an access point (base unit). The tethering feature, however, is not easy to use.